Conservation

The problems facing the ocean sometimes feel overwhelming. But like surfers we can look for the perfect wave — and ride it to protect these vital ecosystems.

“Collectors” threaten these tiny bats, whose big ears can’t protect them from the humans loving them to death.

The historic act, which recognized a river as a legal entity, deliberately moves away from litigation and places community decision-making at its center.

Science says many types of animals can serve as “umbrella species.” But donors and the public pay the most attention to tigers, orangutans and other charismatic megafauna.

A single Franciscan manzanita plant nicknamed Francie, the last of its kind from the wild, charts an unlikely comeback in San Francisco.

One species she discovered, a critically endangered plant, eluded modern researchers for decades but has recently been rediscovered — as has Barber herself.

There’s never been more momentum for ocean conservation, but new research finds that many efforts fail to protect endangered species — or have barely gotten off the drawing board.

The Inyambo’s importance to Rwandan culture can’t protect them from threats like diseases, international conflict, and inbreeding.

This month’s best and worst environmental stories also include a rebounding lynx, a climate lawsuit boom, and a spa for frogs.

Animals, plants, and fungi depend on this humble tree, but its future — and theirs — is all but certain.